Understanding Home Updates: Be Well Informed for the Decisions That Matter
Remodel, rebuild, and renovate – these three terms are often used somewhat interchangeably but have very distinct differences. Understanding the basics of these three home update categories with definitive clarity will give homeowners confidence as they begin conversations with designers, architects, and contractors. As one of Seattle’s top residential contractors, many companies offer all three of these services – though remodeling tends to be the specialty for most established firms.
Remodeling: A More Comprehensive Approach
When planning to remodel an existing house, homeowners are typically taking on a more in-depth project. Remodeling often encompasses redesigning and rebuilding the interior or exterior of a home with a refreshed aesthetic, but with more limited changes to the structure of the home. Design in a remodel can often take cues from the rest of the home or the original design to create a more cohesive experience.
Renovations: A Less Invasive Touch-Up
Renovating is often considered the least intrusive approach to home upgrades. If renovating an existing house, the project scale may span from a singular room to the entire house, but it’s generally focused on restoring parts of the home as opposed to creating a new look or experience. Often the updates are minimal and don’t change the functionality or aesthetic of the home. Homeowners opt for this approach as an effort to maintain the original design while making key upgrades that might improve the efficiency or function of the home.
Rebuilding or Building a New Home: A Clean Slate
When it comes to more extensive changes, homeowners are likely looking at a full tear down and rebuilding a new home in place or acquiring a plot of land and building new from scratch. Many clients opt to do this when there isn’t an economical way to achieve the home experience they desire via a home renovation or remodel.
What to Consider When Ready for an Upgrade
Whether opting to renovate, remodel, or rebuild, there are some key factors to consider when deciding on what approach to take. Taking the time to thoughtfully evaluate these aspects will go a long way in helping to identify the scope of the project and make the best decision for a unique situation. Most professional contractors have a fine-tuned process for their projects that helps homeowners get the most out of a remodel.
Identifying Wants in Your Home vs Needs
It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of home improvement projects, and if homeowners aren’t careful, budgets and efforts can quickly get away from them! This is where a seasoned professional comes in to play to help keep a project in alignment with expectations, budget, and schedule.
Before bringing on a professional, it is important to evaluate wants versus needs as an individual and/or family. Be thoughtful to consider how those needs will change in the years to come.
Perhaps a family needs more rooms or spaces for work or hobbies. Or, maybe they’re considering having children and want to integrate a space dedicated to creative play. Likewise, if they want a place for aging parents to live with them when the time comes, integrating an ADU might be of importance.
Then, of course, there are the wants – the wish list of things to bring a perfect home to life. Does a homeowner dream of having a wine bar in the basement or an oversized soaking tub in the master bath? They may be part of the dream home scenario, or there may be opportunity to incorporate some of these ideas into the current project scope.
Having a list of wants and needs for a designer or contractor will help keep a clear line of communication and expectation for the outcome of the project, no matter the size.
Evaluate the Condition of Your Existing Home
Taking the time to look at a current home and evaluating the condition of the landscape, structure, finishes, and aesthetics is a critical first step.
Is the home in really great condition but needs a few small tweaks to make it more efficient for the lifestyle? Or perhaps the home is older, out of date, and requires extensive upgrades to the flow and functionality of the home.
Further, understanding the age of a home may help in reducing unforeseen surprises by identifying common building practices of that time that could impact the work. Toxic building materials, for example, were common practice for a long time. Homes built before the 1980s have the potential of lead paint, while homes from the 1960s may have asbestos in any existing floors or ceiling materials. Professional contractors always test for and remove these materials before starting a project.
Taking this first step to evaluate the home will help determine how extensive the changes needed are and identify potential ‘surprises’ along the way. Hiring an inspector might also be an option if a thorough and detailed investigation into the condition of the home is needed.
Consider the Value of Your Home
A home is an investment and should be thought of as such when making these decisions. If this is a forever home, investing in a larger remodeling project may not feel as daunting knowing the positive impact it will have on daily life while the financial investment will be spread out over a multitude of years.
If a house is a shorter-term investment, consider speaking with a contractor or real estate expert to get insight on what types of renovations or home remodeling will add value so the investment can be recouped when it’s time to sell.
Renovate, Remodel, Rebuild: Pros, Cons, and How to Decide
Now that the basics are sorted, let’s dive deep into the pros and cons of each approach. When working with an existing structure, whether buying an existing home or doing work to one’s own house, the considerations are much different than if going into new home construction.
Pros and Cons of Renovating a Home
Renovating a home is often the most cost-effective and time-efficient option compared to remodeling or building new. It typically involves minimal to moderate changes to an existing space but does not impact the structural elements (think walls being replaced vs. removed).
Pros of Renovating
As the least invasive approach to upgrading a home, a renovation can still offer big benefits:
- Customizing the space to meet a family’s needs
- Improving the functionality of rooms
- Creating an improved and more cohesive aesthetic throughout the home
- Adding modern comforts and design elements
The biggest advantage of a renovation is the ability to retain the character of a home while tailoring it to specific needs and lifestyle and adding value to the property. For example, a historic kitchen may be lovely, but functionally doesn’t support cooking or hosting workflow.
A skilled contractor can retain the details, intent, and aesthetic character of a space while providing an upgraded layout that works more efficiently or increases storage space. The end result is all based on personal goals.
Cons of Renovating
With so many benefits, it can be an easy choice, but understanding the risks is important:
- Unexpected conditions can add unexpected costs
- Living in a construction zone isn’t for everyone
- Existing conditions and code compliance can present challenges
With all the benefits it can offer, a renovation project does also come with some risk, and there is always potential for surprises. Be it unexpected mold behind a backsplash or wiring that needs to be redone – these types of things can add cost and time to a project, but ultimately, rectifying those issues makes a home safer and healthier at the end of the project, an invaluable investment.
When planning a project, working with a professional to ensure scope and renovation costs are properly mapped out is key. Doing a thorough inspection of existing conditions prior to work may reduce the number of unexpected surprises, particularly when renovating an old home, to help determine the best approach for a project.
Pros and Cons of Remodeling a Home
Remodeling the interior or exterior of a home is the next tier of work. It is more invasive than a renovation and generally includes impacts to the structure and/or layout of the home. This encompasses projects like removing and rearranging walls to create an open concept, or adding extra square footage to the home through an addition.
Pros of Remodeling
By taking on a more extensive scope, the impact of the changes is often more striking and the benefits of remodeling don’t stop there:
- Home Value: Well-executed remodels have potential to increase property value
- Functionality: Completely reconfiguring space means improved functionality tailored to specific needs
- Energy Efficiency: More opportunity to integrate energy-saving measures to reduce utility costs
- Hidden Surprises: Remodels are already digging deep, so there’s the opportunity to correct any underlying issues with home systems or structure
Often, homeowners opting for a remodel are looking to create a new home feeling in a place that they already love. A skilled design professional can transform an existing or older home into the exact house the homeowners would be looking at buying new on the market – but with the perk of customizing the home and maintaining those invaluable memories.
Cons of Remodeling
Like renovating, remodeling comes with its challenges from cost to schedule, it’s important to be aware of what’s involved:
- Costs: Because the work is more extensive, the costs of remodeling are often higher
- Schedule: With more work comes more time, and holding to a schedule is important
- Lifestyle: Depending on the extent of changes, it may be more difficult living in the home during construction
- Coordination: More extensive changes require higher levels of coordination from designers, builders, and each individual trade
If ultimately deciding to do a remodel, working with a professional specializing in a design-build process can help minimize the downsides of the project. Teams who do design-build are not just skilled at designing the most efficient and impactful upgrades to a home, they have seasoned professionals experienced in home building that can build intricate designs while anticipating any potential issues.
What’s more is these teams often have a network of trade consultants and contractors that they can lean on to support in the determination of scope, approach, costs, and construction to ensure the entire project is handled appropriately. It becomes a collaborative process where they keep tabs on the detail and homeowners have more information on budget and schedule early on in the process.
Pros and Cons of Rebuilding a Home and New Builds
If looking to completely reconfigure a home or perhaps there’s damage to the foundation or structure, while an extreme remodel can do the trick, it might often be wise to rebuild. Most times, if a client opts to build new, it’s because there isn’t an economical or efficient way to achieve the desired outcome in their existing home, or aging/damage is too extensive.
Pros of a Rebuild or New Build
Building a new home offers many benefits to homeowners, making it a desirable option:
- Customization: New home means new everything and every detail can be designed to the owner’s specifications
- Energy Efficiency: The latest technologies and systems can be integrated making the home more energy and cost efficient
- Modern Amenities: The latest in features and finishes can be integrated without existing building constraints
- No Existing Issues: No existing structure and systems means more predictable costs
Many homeowners dream of building new and creating their dream home, idealizing a modern, energy-efficient home. While it can be a wonderful outcome, it is a process, and it’s important not to get caught up in the fantasy, as some new builds go through a variety of challenges.
Cons of a Rebuild or New Build
Complete customization might seem ideal, but new construction also comes with its own challenges:
- Unexpected Surprises: Yes, even new builds can have unexpected surprises, from permitting to supply difficulties and more
- Cost: Building new means more materials, and market cost fluctuations can have a bigger impact on budget
- Schedule: New construction can take months and even years to complete
- Sequencing: More work means more trades, making the construction sequencing more complicated
- Scope: It’s not just about the home – it’s about the landscaping, paving, and outdoor systems like sprinklers as well
Not to say these challenges are insurmountable, but the larger the project, the more impactful each individual challenge can be. Working with a skilled contractor who has experience with every trade – from civil and landscaping through structural, electrical, and even fire protection is key to ensure nothing is overlooked.
New Construction, Remodeling, or Renovation – Deciding What Is Right for You
It’s a lot of information to absorb and analyze, and the simple truth is, every project comes with its own unique set of challenges and opportunities – that’s why bringing in an experienced professional is key. Once goals, a budget, and preferred schedule are determined – it’s time to get a professional involved. A design-builder will bring professional expertise on both the design and construction sides of a project to ensure the best approach is chosen for a unique project.
Remodeling vs. Rebuilding FAQs
What is the difference between remodeling, rebuilding, and renovating?
Renovating usually involves updating or restoring existing elements of a home (like repainting walls or replacing lighting fixtures), while remodeling changes the layout or structure (such as knocking down walls or expanding a kitchen), and rebuilding means tearing down and constructing a new structure from the ground up.
When should I renovate instead of remodel?
Renovation is best if wanting to refresh the look of a home without major structural changes. If a home is in good condition but visually outdated, simple updates like new flooring, fresh paint, and modern fixtures can enhance its appeal without the cost of a full remodel.
Is remodeling more expensive than renovating?
Yes, remodeling is usually more expensive than renovating because it often involves altering the structure, which may require new plumbing, electrical work, or permits, whereas renovation focuses on surface-level improvements.
How do I decide between remodeling and rebuilding?
If a home has significant structural damage, outdated systems, or layout inefficiencies that would require extensive remodeling, rebuilding might be a cleaner process (as opposed to delicately remodeling specific parts). However, if the foundation and structure are in good shape, a remodel can still transform the space without the need for complete reconstruction.
Does remodeling increase home value more than renovating?
Remodeling often increases home value more than simple renovations because it modernizes the layout and function of the space. However, the return on investment depends on the project—kitchen, bathroom, garage, and basement remodels typically offer the highest resale value.
